Princeton University Athletics
Wednesday, April 22
University Park, PA
4:30 PM
Princeton University
8-14,3-9EIVA
3
vs
1
No. 3 George Mason (EIVA Quarterfinals)
20-10,8-4EIVA
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| George Mason | 25 | 21 | 17 | 16 | 1 |
Photo by Steven Walter
Tigers Advance to EIVA Semifinal With Dominant 3-1 Win Over No. 3 George Mason
April 22, 2026 | Men's Volleyball
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. – Winning three straight to come back and advance, the sixth-seeded Princeton men's volleyball team took a dominant 3-1 win over No. 3 George Mason (23-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-16) in the EIVA Quarterfinals on Wednesday evening in Rec Hall.
Owen Mellon led the Tigers with 15 kills on .371 hitting. Andrew Werner was behind him with 12 kills.
Ambrose Engling also had a solid night, making eight kills with just one error on 13 swings for .538. Nolan Kelly dished out 38 assists in the contest.
Ethan Wells led the Tigers defensively, with two solo blocks and eight block assists on the night.
How It Happened
The first set was razor thin as the Tigers and the Patriots traded points through 12. George Mason pulled away with two back-to-back points, which Princeton answered immediately to tie it at 14-14. Coming out of the media timeout, George Mason took the lead with a 3-0 run, but with a run of their own, started with a Tristan Whitfield ace, Princeton came back to tie it at 21. Despite another kill by Ryan Vena to stay alive, George Mason took the first set, 25-23.
Responding immediately, Princeton opened the second set with an early 4-0 run to take the lead at 5-1. George Mason was able to get back within one, but not for long as Princeton exploded with a 3-0 run to lead 9-5 and force a Patriot timeout.
A solo block by Wells and two kills by Vena would make it 12-6 Princeton as the Tigers expanded their lead. Getting past mid-set, George Mason climbed within two again at 18-16. With both sides trading points, two unanswered Tiger kills by Whitfield and Werner made it set-point Princeton, which it closed out 25-21.
The Tigers continued their momentum in the third set. After a close first eight points, the Tigers broke off into a run to lead 13-9, thanks to kills by Mellon and Engling and a block by Whitfield. Another 3-0 run mid-set would expand the Tiger lead to six at 18-12. Continuing to cruise to set-point while hitting .524, Princeton would finish off the set with another 3-0 run as a Mellon-Wells block called game, 25-17.
With a ticket to the semifinals within reach, the Tigers dominated the fourth set, taking the lead early with a 5-0 run to make it 8-3. George Mason answered with a run of their own to get back within one, but Princeton continued to outpace the Patriot offense to lead by as much as seven at 18-11.
Forcing George Mason to hit -0.04, the Tigers kept racing towards match point, with Whitfield bringing the Tigers to 24 with a solo block. With one last kill from Werner calling it, Princeton took the set 25-16 to complete the 3-1 win and punch a ticket to tomorrow's semifinal.
Up Next
The Tigers will take on No. 2 NJIT in tomorrow's EIVA semifinal, with the first serve set for 4:30 p.m. in Rec Hall.
Owen Mellon led the Tigers with 15 kills on .371 hitting. Andrew Werner was behind him with 12 kills.
Ambrose Engling also had a solid night, making eight kills with just one error on 13 swings for .538. Nolan Kelly dished out 38 assists in the contest.
Ethan Wells led the Tigers defensively, with two solo blocks and eight block assists on the night.
How It Happened
The first set was razor thin as the Tigers and the Patriots traded points through 12. George Mason pulled away with two back-to-back points, which Princeton answered immediately to tie it at 14-14. Coming out of the media timeout, George Mason took the lead with a 3-0 run, but with a run of their own, started with a Tristan Whitfield ace, Princeton came back to tie it at 21. Despite another kill by Ryan Vena to stay alive, George Mason took the first set, 25-23.
Responding immediately, Princeton opened the second set with an early 4-0 run to take the lead at 5-1. George Mason was able to get back within one, but not for long as Princeton exploded with a 3-0 run to lead 9-5 and force a Patriot timeout.
A solo block by Wells and two kills by Vena would make it 12-6 Princeton as the Tigers expanded their lead. Getting past mid-set, George Mason climbed within two again at 18-16. With both sides trading points, two unanswered Tiger kills by Whitfield and Werner made it set-point Princeton, which it closed out 25-21.
The Tigers continued their momentum in the third set. After a close first eight points, the Tigers broke off into a run to lead 13-9, thanks to kills by Mellon and Engling and a block by Whitfield. Another 3-0 run mid-set would expand the Tiger lead to six at 18-12. Continuing to cruise to set-point while hitting .524, Princeton would finish off the set with another 3-0 run as a Mellon-Wells block called game, 25-17.
With a ticket to the semifinals within reach, the Tigers dominated the fourth set, taking the lead early with a 5-0 run to make it 8-3. George Mason answered with a run of their own to get back within one, but Princeton continued to outpace the Patriot offense to lead by as much as seven at 18-11.
Forcing George Mason to hit -0.04, the Tigers kept racing towards match point, with Whitfield bringing the Tigers to 24 with a solo block. With one last kill from Werner calling it, Princeton took the set 25-16 to complete the 3-1 win and punch a ticket to tomorrow's semifinal.
Up Next
The Tigers will take on No. 2 NJIT in tomorrow's EIVA semifinal, with the first serve set for 4:30 p.m. in Rec Hall.
Team Stats
PU
GMU
Kills
51
43
Errors
21
25
Attempts
109
119
Hitting %
.275
.151
Points
70.5
53.5
Assists
49
43
Aces
2
2
Blocks
17.5
8.5
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
PIN
/ Men's Volleyball
SET
/ Men's VolleyballPIN
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's VolleyballPIN
/ Men's VolleyballMB
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